The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

Langhua felt a sweet warmth in her heart, but said aloud, "Your Majesty is talking nonsense again."

"No, not at all." Zhao Zhen sat down beside her, took her hand, and said in a rambling voice, "You have no idea, but during court today, I suddenly felt that my voice was a little louder."

Zhao Zhen spoke very seriously: "In the past, those court officials all had stern faces, and when they offered advice, they tried to overwhelm me with rules and principles until I could hardly breathe. Today, it's still the same people, and the advice is still the same, but their tone is much better."

"I always felt that after Erlang came along, they suddenly became less ferocious."

Upon hearing this, Langhua wanted to laugh, but also felt a slight pang of sadness in her heart.

She leaned gently against Zhao Zhen, reached out and hugged him, her voice very soft.

"Liu Lang has really had a tough time these past few years."

This one sentence almost brought tears to Zhao Zhen's eyes.

He ascended the throne at the age of thirteen, and now, at over twenty-seven, he has finally had his eldest son.

From the time he was twenty, his courtiers had been advising him not to quarrel with Empress Guo, saying that having children was the most important thing. Later, even those ministers who had always advocated frugality and said that a monarch should not indulge in desires and who never supported his taking in many concubines began to urge him to expand his harem, as if they were afraid that he would die out.

Some people even vaguely mentioned the matter of adopting a son.

Only Zhao Zhen himself knew the extent of the oppression these events caused to a man, to a monarch.

Now, he finally has both a son and a daughter.

And they were all born to the Empress.

I can finally stand up straight.

Zhao Zhen reached out and hugged Langhua tightly, remaining silent for a long time.

Langhua quietly returned his embrace.

Zhao Zhen suddenly whispered, "Third Sister, I am truly overjoyed and deeply grateful to you, but I don't know how to express it. Please tell me your request, and I will grant you anything."

Langhua was slightly taken aback.

Before she could speak, Zhao Zhen immediately added, "You cannot refuse; this is an imperial decree."

Langhua was both amused and exasperated: "Is Your Majesty going to reward me for my contributions?"

Zhao Zhen said in a serious tone, "Say whatever you want, just bring it up quickly."

Langhua looked at him, her heart stirred slightly.

The two looked at each other for a long time, and then Langhua suddenly said softly, "Reorganize the Northwest Army."

Zhao Zhen was startled: "What did you say?"

Lang Hua said word by word: "I ask the official for an order to reorganize the Northwest Army."

"I'm asking you to speak up for yourself."

Zhao Zhen reminded him in a daze.

Langhua chuckled lightly: "Has Your Majesty forgotten what you said? You and I are husband and wife, of one mind and one heart. What Your Majesty wants to do is also what I want to do. The border troops are lax and undisciplined; it's ultimately unacceptable. Since Your Majesty has long desired this, then let's go ahead and do it."

Zhao Zhen was speechless for a moment.

He had already made preparations to bestow a noble title upon each of his three elder brothers.

Even if the court officials objected and said that he was showing too much favor to the empress, he had already prepared his response.

If a father-in-law gives birth to the eldest son, he will be of great merit to the royal family and the country. Not to mention two earls or viscounts, what is wrong with promoting his father-in-law to the rank of prince?

There was also Third Sister's sister-in-law, and herself.

Even if she wanted to immediately appoint Erlang as the Crown Prince, he could certainly argue his case in court.

In short, he was willing to give any reward he could, and no request was a problem.

Only in this way can he express his gratitude and high regard for San Niang.

What he didn't expect was that even with such an opportunity presented to her, she still prioritized him.

Reorganizing the Northwest Army had been his long-cherished wish for many years. But every time he brought it up, he would be refuted by Xia Xiang and others. Some said it would be a waste of manpower and resources, others said the border was still stable and it was not advisable to act rashly, and still others said military and political affairs were interconnected and should not be rushed.

Over time, this almost became a source of anxiety for him.

The fact that San Niang brought up this matter at this juncture clearly indicates that she wanted to use herself as an excuse to pave a way for him.

She was even prepared to bear the blame for him.

With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for?

Zhao Zhen embraced Langhua tightly once more.

Langhua gently hugged him back.

Her gaze was fixed on the view outside the window, but she clearly remembered those times.

There are still ten months until Li Yuanhao of Western Xia declares himself emperor, plunging the western border into chaos.

There are three years left until the Song-Xia War.

If the Song Dynasty is not to become a fat sheep to be slaughtered, if the wealth and peace of this dynasty are to continue at least until its children can live to a ripe old age and die peacefully...

Therefore, military reorganization is imperative.

-

On the Sheng family's carriage on their return journey.

After a while, Sheng Changsong finally fell asleep in Sheng Hong's arms.

Sheng Hong gently wiped away the tears on his son's face with a handkerchief, looked up at Wang Ruoyu whose complexion was still not good, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke: "Just now, my brother-in-law advised me to volunteer to go to Huanzhou to take up my post."

"Huanzhou?"

Before she could finish speaking, Wang Ruoyu suddenly raised her voice, momentarily forgetting her anger towards her sister-in-law, Zhou: "That far! Almost to Western Xia!"

The disdain on her face was almost impossible to hide: "You're not allowed to go. I've already begged my mother to find a way to transfer you to Yangzhou."

Huanzhou is a border area.

Although there are still exchanges between the Song Dynasty and the Western Xia Dynasty, and things seem peaceful on the surface, trouble is expected to break out by the end of next year at the latest.

Going to Huanzhou at this time is no different from sending yourself to your death.

The Jiangnan region is still the best; it's prosperous, peaceful, and far from war.

In his previous life, Sheng Hong spent nearly six years in Yangzhou before being transferred back to the capital, where he rose through the ranks.

I must never make a mistake in this lifetime.

Upon hearing the words "Yangzhou," Sheng Hong's eyes lit up: "My mother-in-law agreed?"

Wang Ruoyu said smugly, "If I personally take charge, what can't I get? Besides, you're not some hopeless case. Your achievements in Dengzhou over the years are all genuine. Yangzhou is just a small matter, more than enough for you."

Sheng Hong quickly cupped his hands in thanks and said with a smile, "Thank you, madam."

After the initial amusement, a lingering doubt remained: "Why would my brother-in-law say that?"

Wang Ruoyu didn't seem to care much: "Perhaps it's because my father was also sent to the Northwest back then, and he stayed in Huanzhou for a few years. He has some connections, so he wants you to go through the same thing."

But there's no need.

Even if Wang Ruoyu had any dissatisfaction with her father, she knew how formidable he was, far surpassing Sheng Hong.

Both were going to the Northwest, but my father went to earn real political achievements, even gaining merit on the edge of a knife.

If it were Sheng Hong instead, all that would be left is hard work and endurance, and she would have to suffer along with him.

Sheng Hong did not ask any further questions.

When the carriage returned to the Sheng family home, it was still early.

Sheng Hong thought that since he had returned to the capital, he would visit a few classmates tomorrow. He needed to go to his study today to organize some writing materials and letters, so he told Wang Ruoyu and parted ways with her at the second gate.

Wang Ruoyu naturally wouldn't object to such casual socializing between men, only saying calmly, "Go ahead, but don't stay out too late."

He then led his servants back to his own courtyard.

Sheng Hong went to the study alone.

Just as they passed through a corridor, they suddenly heard a soft voice coming from ahead.

"My brother is back."

Sheng Hong paused, then looked up.

Not far away, Lin Qinshuang stood timidly under the eaves.

She was dressed in a simple dress, holding a book in her hands, as if she were just passing by, or as if she was waiting for him there on purpose.